As we embark upon the “battles” of November that will determine the champions and the standings for future championship pursuits, the opportunities for those involved in our great sport to make comparisons between the playing field and the battlefield become numerous. Perhaps this is because football was so inherently tied to soldier development at the service academies during the inception of our game. Or, that as coaches our fraternal organization was founded by a military man when Major Charles Daly called the first meeting and formed the AFCA in 1921. Whatever the case, we are all keenly aware that the comparison is effortlessly made however terribly inaccurate as the chaotic and unpredictable challenges of the actual battlefield and their repercussions dwarf what occurs on pre-determined Saturdays in the fall. The positive that stems from this is that we, as civilians, can glean countless lessons from those who have put concepts to the test and forged conclusions under much greater pressure and heat.
At Cornell this fall we have had the amazing opportunity to have two military generals address our football team and/or athletic department. They are General John M. Paxton, current Assistant Commandant for the Marine Corps and General George W. Casey Jr., retired., former Commanding General of the multi-national force in Iraq (2004-2007) and former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army (2007-2011). Please find below my notes from paraphrasing their talks as they truly resonated and have been stuck in my craw since their delivery.
PAXTON
-He gave us a brief talk the night before a game and was a little more autobiographical as he is a Cornell Alumnus. Very simple and to the point:
3 THINGS to FOCUS on in LEADING YOURSELF (or others)
1 – Preparation
-This was awesome because he attacked and debunked the myth of over-preparation. You can always (and probably should) do more.
2 – Brilliance in the Basics
-Self-explanatory and cautionary; one cannot skip the fundamentals for the scheme.
3 – Endurance
-This one jumps off the page as we are in the time of year where individual players and teams either FADE or FINISH in direct relation to their levels of STAMINA.
CASEY
-Long talk that was awesome because he referenced his time working for Coach Lombardi as a pivotal point in his life. Casey was a “water boy” for the Redskins when he was a student at Georgetown.
3 PREREQUISITES for LEADERS (or to try and develop in players as we COACH them)
1 – Vision (and the ability to articulate it)
-Crucial for coaches as we all often assume that the kids know where we want to go. They don’t.
2 – Courage (the ability to make an evaluation or judgement and move on)
-Goes without saying for coaches; your critics will always outweigh your supporters, GET OVER IT and DO YOUR JOB.
3 – Character (the most important piece)
-General Casey hammered this point home; “be without strategy before character”. He basically said that failure would be eminent without character.
4 AREAS for LEADERS to ALLOCATE their TIME
1 – Developing a vision and strategy
-This only happens if you are competent in understanding your environment and context.
2 – Building and Empowering the Team
-TOTAL EFFORT and COMMITMENT are the standard; he got this from Lombardi.
3 – Shaping the External Environment
-Learn to set the conditions for a “YES”.
4 – Looking to the future
-“The PLAN does not survive first contact with the enemy.”
Hope these help you all as you “march” forward this season.